You Are My Life

Fighting for Answers

"Any luck?" Damon asked over Mallorie's shoulder as she concentrated on the piece of parchment in her hands.

Mallorie slammed the stack of papers onto the ever-growing pile in front of her. "There's nothing in here about Katherine that we don't already know."

"Ah, man, ya know, it's a bummer we're not friends anymore because I could tell you what I know." Damon sighed.

Mallorie turned around to face him. "Now who's manipulating who?"

Damon shot her a devious look matched with a mischievous smirk. The impulse to stab him ebbed a little. The longer she held eye contact, the more she wanted to be in his embrace again.

"Hey, guys," Ric said, breaking Mallorie out of her thoughts. "Check this out."

After one more glance at Damon, Mallorie walked toward the desk where Ric and Vanessa were reading Isobel's documents. Damon never moved, so Mallorie had to squeeze past him. As she approached the desk, Ric handed a leather-bound book to Vanessa. Damon stepped behind Mallorie as Vaness began to talk.

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser-known legends. Everything from Scandinavian skin-walkers to the Maréchal de Retz." Vanessa handed the book to  Mallorie. "Tonartsliitsii Metslii, which roughly translates into the 'curse of the sun and the moon'."

Ric looked up at Mallorie. "It's Native American."

Damon took the book and began flipping through it. Though she knew he couldn't see, Mallorie narrowed her eyes at him.

"Aztec." Vanessa corrected Ric. "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story, 600 years ago, the Aztecs were plagued by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside and made farming and hunting impossible until an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result, vampires could only prowl at night and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, who's ever unlucky enough to fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon stepped away from the table.

"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse." Vanessa pursed her lips. "Werewolves will attack humans, but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice: vampires."

Everyone looked at Damon, who spoke next. "Well, if werewolves were attacking vampires, I would know about it."

"Not if there aren't that many werewolves left alive." Vanessa shook her head. "Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction."

"Why would they do that?" Mallorie asked.

Vanessa shrugged. "To protect themselves. Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires."

Mallorie felt fear course through her veins as she looked at Ric. His expression held the same fear. If the Lockwoods were werewolves, they could not know this information. The Salvatores would be dead the minute the next full moon showed up.

"Oh..." Damon said as if he could hear Mallorie's thoughts.

"We have to let Elena and Stefan know." Mallorie pulled out her phone and exited the room.

"What'd you find?" Elena asked. "Stefan's here, too."

"Well, there's evidence that werewolves exist. Vampires almost killed them off, which may explain why neither Stefan nor Damon knew about them." Mallorie sighed.

"What did you find?" Stefan asked.

"Vanessa was able to find some Aztec files that say they both began terrorizing farms and stuff, so they were cursed to be ruled by the sun and moon." Mallorie looked back into the room. "I don't know what means or if we should even believe it, but it's a full moon. After what Stefan said Mason could do..."